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A Hornet in the house!

The only good wasp is a dead one! Thankfully they seem to have become quite rare up here in Northumberland in recent years and I only saw about 4 last year and 2 so far this year.
 
Arkless Electronics said:
The only good wasp is a dead one! Thankfully they seem to have become quite rare up here in Northumberland in recent years and I only saw about 4 last year and 2 so far this year.
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It has been estimated that the wasps of the UK account for 14 million kilograms of insect prey like aphids and caterpillars each year.
 
Arkless Electronics said:
The only good wasp is a dead one! Thankfully they seem to have become quite rare up here in Northumberland in recent years and I only saw about 4 last year and 2 so far this year.
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Do you not find it slightly disturbing that a dramatic shift in the insect population seems to be happening? Does this not ring any alarm bells?
 
Much nicer insect guest today. A big grass hopper. Now safely back outside in its natural habitat.

Best wishes from George
 
Arkless Electronics said:
The only good wasp is a dead one! Thankfully they seem to have become quite rare up here in Northumberland in recent years and I only saw about 4 last year and 2 so far this year.
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A comment from the totallly ignorant and those never, ever wanting to be educated or informed.
Just not worth the breath...………………………..
 
Seriously - a phobia is "an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something.". It is there to be overcome and the first bit to that is mental. Become rational.

I had no great liking for spiders, but it dawned on me that it was ludicrous in the UK - at worst some rare species can pierce the skin with their fangs. Now, I think nothing of them except to help them on their way in life.

With spiders it is easy - start with the small ones and build up, but wasps not so easy. The first step is definitely a mental one - stop thinking that they are the enemy, that they are in any way out to harm anything - ignore them. Go from there.

I ABSOLUTELY promise that they WILL NOT harm you if unmolested. In the VERY worst case, a sting is EXTREMELY trivial - burns from solder or soldering iron will have ben FAR worse.. They are very much part of life's rich tapestry and MUST be accepted as such.
 
Vinny said:
A comment from the totallly ignorant and those never, ever wanting to be educated or informed.
Just not worth the breath...………………………..
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Come on...it's banter. But now you mention it, I am unconvinced that one extinct species will be the end of the world. There have been lots of extinctions in the past. The world adjusts.
 
Vinny said:
Seriously - a phobia is "an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something.". It is there to be overcome and the first bit to that is mental. Become rational.

I had no great liking for spiders, but it dawned on me that it was ludicrous in the UK - at worst some rare species can pierce the skin with their fangs. Now, I think nothing of them except to help them on their way in life.

With spiders it is easy - start with the small ones and build up, but wasps not so easy. The first step is definitely a mental one - stop thinking that they are the enemy, that they are in any way out to harm anything - ignore them. Go from there.

I ABSOLUTELY promise that they WILL NOT harm you if unmolested. In the VERY worst case, a sting is EXTREMELY trivial - burns from solder or soldering iron will have ben FAR worse.. They are very much part of life's rich tapestry and MUST be accepted as such.
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Last bit not true. One landed on my finger. I looked at it in frozen horror without moving. The **** then stung me and flew off.
 
There have been loads here lately....every few years they set up camp in my trees or roofspace. I've put up fake nests in the past which seemed to deter them (they are very territorial). Lately if they come in the house I just point at the open door that they entered through and tell them to go......oddly it seems to work.
 
No animal is entirely predictable. Thus if one is allergic to a sting or bite, then one must adopt a defensive method that might be analysed as being kill or be killed,

BUT,

I don't wish any specie extinct even if in close proximity I may very well decide that killing the offending individual creature is better than risking being killed by it. No doubt the other way round the same mentality would exist.

Fancy a cuddle with a Polar Bear or a Leopard Seal, anyone?

Best wishes from George
 
We had a hornet nest in an outhouse in the garden a few years ago. When I was in the garden they used to fly out and, single mindedly, head off in their chosen direction (usually towards bee hives in neighbouring gardens - I believe they prey on bees!).
If I was in their way they just bounced off me and carried on!
They generally took absolutely no notice of me.

One day I felt a tickle on my ear and felt to scratch it and was stung by a huge hornet - it hurt far less then a wasp sting in spite of the fearsome size of the hornet.

If I see them now (I haven't for a few years) I just let them go about their business!
 
peterm said:
We had a hornet nest in an outhouse in the garden a few years ago. When I was in the garden they used to fly out and, single mindedly, head off in their chosen direction (usually towards bee hives in neighbouring gardens - I believe they prey on bees!).
If I was in their way they just bounced off me and carried on!
They generally took absolutely no notice of me.

One day I felt a tickle on my ear and felt to scratch it and was stung by a huge hornet - it hurt far less then a wasp sting in spite of the fearsome size of the hornet.

If I see them now (I haven't for a few years) I just let them go about their business!
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Only the asiatique hornet predates bees.
 
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